Now, Navi Mumbai wants its own metro

MUMBAI: Even as Mumbai's wait for a swanky Metro train appears unending, Navi Mumbai too wants a similar project to connect different nodes of the city. Officials of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) submitted proposals for metro rail and monorail projects to Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Monday, sources told ET.

The proposal has been drafted by the NMMC in consultation with Maharashtra government's infrastructure arm City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) which has developed the neighbouring township, sources added. The MMRDA would have a close look at the proposal and may commission a feasibility survey as well, MMRDA officials said.

The NMMC hit upon the idea of metro rail project looking at the prospective industrial and economic activity in Navi Mumbai and beyond. "A metro rail project would be the right thing to have in Navi Mumbai which is known for its infrastructure facilities. The industrial-economic climate in Navi Mumbai merits modern means of transportation," said an official of CIDCO.

Making a strong pitch for metro rail and monorail projects, NMMC officials have projected city needs on the basis of two special economic zones coming up in and around Navi Mumbai — the proposed international airport near Kalamboli, and the central business district in Belapur which houses government as well as corporate houses.

"Looking at the transportation chaos in Mumbai's island city, it's high time Navi Mumbai started building transportation facilities keeping an eye on the future," said an NMMC official.

The official referred to one of the proposed metro rail corridors between Mankhurd in Greater Mumbai and Panvel near Navi Mumbai which mainly proposes to connect the island city with the new airport.

He said the both metro and monorail rail projects would not face land issues, rehabilitation, and delays as compared to the island city. NMMC officials said Navi Mumbai had started experiencing the "spillover effect" from Mumbai-Thane and traffic snarls, unheard of in Navi Mumbai till a couple of years back, were almost becoming a regular affair on some roads in the busier nodes.

"The public transport in Navi Mumbai is restricted to NMMC bus service and local trains. But we need means of transport to cover smaller distances and a project like monorail rail would be ideal," said the official.